Improvement in seed-planters



E. RUSSELL.

Grain DriIl.

Patented May 15; 1860.

Witnesses= 7mm ,2. M/w

AH. PHQTU'LITHO. CO. NM (OSBORNE'S PROCESS.)

' Inventor,

UNITED STATES EPHRAIM RUSSELL, OF GOATSVILLE,

PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JAMES S. WILEY, OF SADSBURY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IM PROVEM ENT IN SEED-PLANTERS.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, EPHRAIM RUssELL, of Ooa-tsville, in the county of Chester and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Seed-Planters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation-of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a top view of a seeder with myimprovement applied, the seed-box being broken out in its middle to show the improved device for operating the slides thereof; Fig. 2, a vertical transverse section of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, a sectional side view, showing the improved manner of securing the seed-box and the axle-boxes to the frame, like letters when on the different figures indicating the same objects.

My invention has for its objects a more simple and readily variable mode of operating the dropping-slides of the seed-box, and also in connection therewith a better mode of securing in a readily removable manner the said seed-box and other parts of the machine to the main frame.

It consists in the employment of an equalarmed horizontallyvibrating lever or its equivalent connected to the said slides and operated by an armed cylinder on the axle of the machine, as hereinafter described; and also in the employmentin the said machine ofdouble dovetail keys, constructed substantially as hereinafter described, in lieu of the screw-bolts and nuts heretofore used for the purpose of holding certain parts of the machine together.

In the drawings, A A represent the carry ing-wheels, B the axle, and O the frame, of the machine. D D represent the slides of the seed-box D; E, the equal-armed lever; F, the cylinder on the axle B for operating the lever E and slides D D, and G G G the double dovetail keys for removably securing certain parts of the machine together.

The frameO rests upon the axle B and wheels A A in the usual manner, the seed-box D extending across from one side of the frame to the other, and supported by the end pieces, h It, so as to be elevated a short distance above the said frame.

The slides D D are made longer than the box D, and form the moving part of the bottom of the same, and are also perforated in the usual manner for the purpose of discharging, during their sliding motions, proper portions of the grains or seeds through outlets beneath. The lever E is supported horizontally on its fulcrum or vertical shaft t, whose lower end rests in the cross-piece Kof the frame 0, and whose upper end enters the lower side of the bottom piece, I, of the seed-box D. An adj ustable screw-stem, m or m, is inserted vertically in each end of the lever E, equidistant from its center of motion, and so as to pass loosely through a slotted plate or loop, at or n, which is fixed so as to project horizontally from the outer sides ofthe slides Dand D,respectively. Short cross-arms o and 0 project laterally from the center of this lever E and at right angles to the same.

The cylinder F is fitted loosely on the shaft B, and is held in position thereon by means of a surrounding groove, which receives therein the cross-piece k of the frame sufiiciently to prevent any longitudinal motion of the same. The periphery of the cylinder F is provided with adjustable radial arms or studs (1 q, arranged around it in two rows, so as to be caused to alternately catch against the ends of the cross-arms 0 and 0 of the lever E as the said cylinder is carried round by the usual springclntch, r, on the shaft 13, and thus cause the said lever E to be vibrated as the machine is driven along in the direction of the arrow. The clutch r is kept in operating contact with the cylinder F by means of a spring, a, fixed thereto, and also to and around the shaft B, and is released therefrom, so as to allow the machine to be driven without operating the slides D D by means of the notched end of the adjustiugbar t being forced back by the stud u on the usual tube-lifter, 1:, when thelatteris turned up and engaged with it in the usual manner.

In operating the slides D D the cylinder F, being prevented from slipping round on the shaft B by the engagement therewith of the spring-clutch r, is carried round by the said shaft, and its arms q q, alternately coming in contact with the cross-arms 0 and 0 of the lever E, cause it to vibrate right and left equally upon its fulcrum, and, it being connected with the slides D D, by means of the screw-stems m m and the slotted plates or loops n n, the required reciprocating motions of the slides D and D are effected in a perfect manner; and to suspend the motion of the said slides at any time while the machine is drawn over the ground it is only necessary to force up the tube-lifter 0; until its stud a interlocks with the notched end of the clutch-bar t. This dev-ice for operating the slides D D is exceedingly simple and effective in ts operation, is cheap, and easily constructed and applied or removed; and, moreover, is readily adjustable by means of the screw-stems m m and the holes pp, in any of which the stems can be inserted in the lever E, so as to cause any required extent of motion in the said slides that may be required for the different kinds of grain or seeds to be dropped.

The dovetail keys G G G are cast of iron, their transverse section being double dovetails united by their narrower parallel sides, as represented in Fig. 3, and slightly tapering lengthwise, and a corresponding dovetail mortise is cut across the under side of the middle of each of the end pieces, 7b h, of the seed-box D for one half of the key G, and a corresponding one across in each opposite side piece of the frame 0 for the other half, and the key simply driven into both of thejoining mortises at once, thus firmly drawing and holding the two mortised parts closely together in a ready and secure manner. In the same manner each of the axleboxes to is secured to the frame 0, and also at the joint 00 the two parts of the tube-lifter v are secured together by the double dovetail key G, so that the said lifter can at any time be more readily separated from or applied to the machine than is possible by the usual screwbolts and nuts, asthe latter always require a Wrench to adjust them, even when in good order, and when rusty-an injury to which they are peculiarly subject in such machinesit is almost impossible to operate them, even by a wrench. A simple blow of a hammer, or even of a stone, is all that is necessary to apply or remove any of these double dovetail keys G, G, or G, for the purpose described.

Having thus fully described my improvement in planters and pointed out its utility, what I claim as new therein of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangement of the slides D D, the equal-armed lever E, the armed cylinder F, screw-stems m m, slotted plates or loops n n, and the double dovetail keys G G G G G, operating in the manner described, and for the purposes specified.

E. RUSSELL. Witnesses:

H. G. THOMAS, A. D. HARLAN. 

